Vehicle door lock apparatus

Abstract

A vehicle door lock device includes: a housing having an opening; a coupling member configured to be coupled to an operation mechanism arranged on a door; an operation lever arranged inside the housing and coupled to the coupling member through the opening; and a cover capable of opening and closing the opening and a coupling point between the coupling member and the operation lever. The cover is separate from the housing and assembled to the housing to be mountable on and demountable from the housing and rotatable between opened and closed states. Each of the housing and the cover includes: a temporary retaining mechanism to temporarily retain the cover in the opened state when the cover is assembled to the housing in a rotatable manner; and a full retaining mechanism configured to retain the cover in the closed state when the cover is rotatably assembled to the housing.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A vehicle door lock device, comprising:
 a housing having an opening and being configured to be assembled to a door of a vehicle; 
 a coupling member having a coupling member coupling portion and being configured to be coupled to an operation mechanism arranged on the door; 
 an operation lever being arranged inside the housing and having an operation lever coupling portion coupled to the coupling member coupling portion; and 
 a cover movable between an opened state in which the opening in the housing is open and a closed state in which the opening in the housing is closed and a coupling point between the coupling member coupling portion and the operation lever coupling portion is enclosed in the housing, 
 the cover being constructed separately from the housing and being rotatably mountable to and demountable from the housing so that when the cover is rotatably mounted to the housing, the cover is rotatable between the opened state and the closed state, 
 each of the housing and the cover comprising:
 a temporary retaining mechanism configured to temporarily retain the cover in the opened state relative to the housing when the cover is rotatably mounted to the housing; and 
 a full retaining mechanism configured to retain the cover in the closed state relative to the housing when the cover is rotatably mounted to the housing. 
 
 
     
     
       2. A vehicle door lock device according to  claim 1 , wherein the housing and the cover are made of different synthetic resins. 
     
     
       3. A vehicle door lock device according to  claim 1 , wherein the housing or the cover comprises a guide configured to regulate movement of the cover relative to the housing when the cover is rotatably mounted to the housing and is rotated between the opened state and the closed state. 
     
     
       4. A vehicle door lock device according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein one of the housing and the cover comprises a retaining piece, 
 wherein another of the housing and the cover comprises a rod engageable with and disengageable from the retaining piece and rotatable relative to the retaining piece, and 
 wherein the rod comprises a tapered portion that functions as the guide. 
 
     
     
       5. A vehicle door lock device according to  claim 4 , wherein the temporary retaining mechanism comprises:
 a locking hole portion formed in the retaining piece; and 
 a locking claw portion formed on the rod and elastically engageable with the locking hole portion. 
 
     
     
       6. A vehicle door lock device according to  claim 1 , wherein the cover comprises a see-through portion configured such that the coupling point between the coupling member and the operation lever is visible from outside the cover in the closed state. 
     
     
       7. A vehicle door lock device according to  claim 6 , wherein the see-through portion is formed by thinning a part of the cover. 
     
     
       8. A vehicle door lock device, comprising:
 a housing mountable to a door of a vehicle, the housing including an interior and an opening providing access to the interior; 
 a coupling member configured to be coupled to an operation mechanism arranged on the door, the coupling member including a coupling member coupling portion; 
 an operation lever arranged in the interior of the housing, the operation lever including an operation lever coupling portion coupled to the coupling member coupling portion at a coupling point; 
 a cover constructed separately from the housing, the cover being rotatably mountable to the housing so that when the cover is rotatably mounted to the housing, the cover is rotatable between an opened state in which the opening in the housing is open to permit access to the coupling point and a closed state in which the opening in the housing is closed; and 
 each of the housing and the cover comprising a temporary retaining mechanism configured to temporarily retain the cover in the opened state relative to the housing so that the cover is at a predetermined rotation position when the cover is rotatably mounted to the housing. 
 
     
     
       9. A vehicle door lock device according to  claim 8 , wherein the housing and the cover are made of different synthetic resins. 
     
     
       10. A vehicle door lock device according to  claim 8 , wherein the housing or the cover comprises a guide configured to regulate movement of the cover relative to the housing when the cover rotatably mounted to the housing is rotated between the opened state and the closed state. 
     
     
       11. A vehicle door lock device according to  claim 8 ,
 wherein one of the housing and the cover comprises a retaining piece, 
 wherein the other of the housing and the cover comprises a rod engageable with and disengageable from the retaining piece and rotatable relative to the retaining piece, and 
 wherein the rod comprises a tapered portion that functions as the guide. 
 
     
     
       12. A vehicle door lock device according to  claim 8 , wherein the temporary retaining mechanism comprises:
 a locking hole portion formed in the retaining piece; and 
 a locking claw portion formed on the rod and elastically engageable with the locking hole portion. 
 
     
     
       13. A vehicle door lock device according to  claim 8 , wherein the cover comprises a see-through portion configured such that the coupling point between the coupling member coupling portion and the operation lever coupling portion is visible from outside the cover when the cover is rotatably mounted on the housing and is in the closed state. 
     
     
       14. A vehicle door lock device according to  claim 8 , wherein the see-through portion is a thinned part of the cover. 
     
     
       15. A vehicle door lock device, comprising:
 a housing having an opening and being configured to be assembled to a door of a vehicle; 
 a coupling member having a coupling member coupling portion and being configured to be coupled to an operation mechanism arranged on the door; 
 an operation lever being arranged inside the housing and having an operation lever coupling portion coupled to the coupling member coupling portion at a coupling point; 
 a cover constructed separately from the housing, the cover being rotatably mountable to the housing so that when the cover is rotatably mounted to the housing, the cover is rotatable between an opened state in which the opening in the housing is open to permit access to the coupling point and a closed state in which the opening in the housing is closed; 
 each of the housing and the cover comprising:
 a temporary retaining mechanism configured to temporarily retain the cover in the opened state relative to the housing when the cover is rotatably mounted to the housing; 
 a full retaining mechanism configured to retain the cover in the closed state relative to the housing when the cover is rotatably mounted to the housing; 
 
 the housing or the cover comprising a guide configured to regulate movement of the cover relative to the housing when cover is rotatably mounted to the housing and is rotated between the opened state and the closed state; 
 one of the housing and the cover comprising a retaining piece, and the other of the housing and the cover comprising a rod engageable with and disengageable from the retaining piece and rotatable relative to the retaining piece; 
 the rod comprising a tapered portion that functions as a guide that regulates movement of the cover relative to the housing when the cover is rotatably mounted to the housing and is rotated between the opened state and the closed state; and 
 the temporary retaining mechanism comprising a locking hole portion formed in the retaining piece, and a locking claw portion formed on the rod and elastically engageable with the locking hole portion. 
 
     
     
       16. A vehicle door lock device according to  claim 15 , wherein the housing and the cover are made of different synthetic resins. 
     
     
       17. A vehicle door lock device according to  claim 15 , wherein the cover comprises a see-through portion configured such that the coupling point is visible through the see-through portion from outside the cover in the closed state. 
     
     
       18. A vehicle door lock device according to  claim 15 , wherein the see-through portion is formed by a thinned part of the cover.